This invention is concerned with a novel class of enzyme inhibitors of the suicide or K.sub.cat type in which the latent reactive group is an allylsulfoxide which is in reversible equilibrium with an allyl sulfenate: ##STR1##
Suicide enzyme inhibitors are substances bearing a latent reactive group that is unmasked by the target enzyme itself, and which after being unmasked, immediately reacts with the enzyme in an irreversible manner, inactivating it. Enzyme inhibitors of the suicide type are known in the art but until now almost invariably have employed a Michael acceptor as the reactive species and these are described by Walsh in Horizons Biochem. Biophys., 3, 36-81 (1977).
The allylsulfoxide-allyl sulfenate equilibrium of reaction scheme (A) is also known in the art and has been studied as an interesting chemical reaction by Mislow et al., J. Amer. Chem. Soc., 90, 4869 (1968); 92, 2100 (1970) and Evans et al., J. Amer. Chem. Soc., 94, 3672 (1972). Generally, allylsulfoxides are unreactive, but allyl sulfenates are highly reactive electrophiles, and would be expected to capture almost any nucleophile (Nu) in an enzyme that happens to be near it at the moment it is formed: ##STR2##
Usually the nucleophile is one from the protein portion (prosthetic group) of the enzyme, such as a sulfhydryl, amino, hydroxy, imidazolyl or the like. Once the nucleophile is sulfenylated, the enzyme is altered from its native, active form and can no longer function in its intended role as a biochemical catalyst.
In the present invention, the latency of the allylsulfoxide group is generally secured as a sulfoxide carrying a .beta.-leaving group or as a vinylsulfoxide, neither of which is especially reactive. However, in a properly designed inhibitor, the target enzyme recognizes the group Z as a substrate, and removes a proton. Then (in the case of the .beta.-leaving group), the leaving group X departs leaving the allylsulfoxide, or (with the vinylsulfoxide) the proton is re-deposited with allylic rearrangement, creating the allylsulfoxide: ##STR3## In either case, the allylsulfoxide can now rearrange to the allyl sulfenate which captures the enzyme's nucleophile, inactivating it.
The allylsulfoxide-allyl sulfenate rearrangement is facilitated by the nature of the R group attached to the sulfur: the stronger the electron withdrawing nature of R the better, for example, p-nitrophenyl. Steric acceleration of the rearrangement is also provided by bulky o-substituents such as o-alkyl and o,o'-dialkyl when R is substituted-phenyl. Bulky groups such as alkyl and chloro substituted on the carbon chain adjacent to the sulfur atom also provide steric acceleration. Another type of electronic acceleration of the rearrangement is provided by having an electron withdrawing group, such as cyano, alkoxycarbonyl or the like substituted on the carbon .beta.- to the sulfur atom or, in other words, on the middle carbon of the allyl group.
It is, therefore, an object of this invention to provide a group of novel organic sulfoxides wherein one of the substituents on the sulfur carries such other functional group or groups as to be a latent allyl group which becomes unmasked upon reaction with a target enzyme and which function as enzyme inhibitors of the suicide type.
It is another object of this invention to provide a useful tool of biochemical research in the form of selective, very active enzyme inhibitors.
It is a further object of this invention to provide means for inhibiting enzymes, both in vitro and in vivo with the novel organic sulfoxides of this invention.
It is a still further object to provide a method of treating disease states, the progress of which is dependent on the activity of enzymes, which comprises the administration of an effective amount of an enzyme inhibitor of this invention.
It is also an object of this invention to provide pharmaceutical formulations comprising one or more of the novel enzyme inhibitors of this invention.